In the British Isles[1] it is a bread which dates back to the Iron Age.

A loaf of barley bread features in a dream mentioned in Judges 7:13: a Midianite man dreamt that "a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed"; Israelite leader Gideon overheard an account of the dream and concluded that he was assured of victory over the Midianites.

It is mentioned in Islamic sources as a commoner's food in comparison with wheat bread, perceived as a luxury item.

In the Muwatta Imam Malik (hadith 1700) it is narrated that Jesus the son of Mary used to say, "O Children of Israel!

You must drink pure water and the green things of the land and barley bread.